Comments on: Charcoal Willow Sticks

By: The Professor

The Professor — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:58:00 +0000

Being involved with visual art does impart varied ways of seeing. Some may say it is related to the visual investigations that constantly take place for an artist. It often is a child-like curiosity to see, figure out, process and understand. But one could argue that this action is too sophisticated to be child-like. What it is is an openness or open mindedness to all aspects of beauty, form and aesthetics. It is seeing differently. But, we must take note that being attracted to someone and seeing someone as beautiful could be a double edged sword. It will depend on the standpoint of the viewer. Are you emotionally wrapped up and directed toward a person, therefore he/she is attractive to you or is he/she beautiful as a form? Much of this can be determined by how someone is taught to view and appreciate beauty. Has your culture had a hand in it, your education or the media and what do you connect beauty to and how do you qualify it?

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:48:00 +0000

May-
Good evidence of the nature of your alternate thinking can be seen in the fact that you linked the word "bipolar."
I have long since ceased to think of bipolar disorder as being a disability. I'm not sure if I ever did think so, but then, I never had it. But I've told you before that I forget you have it for months at a time, even though I see evidence of your alternate thinking every day.
Perhaps it is a mixed blessing. It can be alienating. Yet, you've said to me before that you consider being bipolar as a gift, because it helped you to do exactly what we're talking about.

Darkness-
See, I find beauty to be attractive. I rarely separate the two ideas. I think I used to quite a bit more, but that was before I had any sort of practice melding sexuality with my life.

Amethyst-
Why thank you. It's easier to explain to people who already get it :).

By: amethyst

amethyst — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:13:00 +0000

When I look at faces I see lines and shapes. I see cheekbones in relation to eyes in relation to the spacing of the forehead and the chin. When I look at bodies I see planes and angles and negative space. I see details, curves, and intersections. I find these elements more interesting, and in many cases much more attractive than specific body parts or specific adherences to aesthetic codes.

I have tried before to explain this way of seeing to people who have no experience with drawing and failed miserably. You, on the other hand, have expressed it beautifully.

By: Darkness in the Attic

Darkness in the Attic — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 01:27:00 +0000

sometimes i have a difficult time explaning to others that while i may find them beautiful, i dont find them attractive. or some other semantically correct wording. i find i can appreciate the way someone looks, the way someones shaped, and it differs from the forms and features that i find stimulating.

By: maymay

maymay — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:12:00 +0000

"I might have been a little bit in love with him because he was the first person to say this to me out loud: "You're going to look at the world differently, and you're going to do it all the time. And," he would sometimes add, "you're going to work to do it.""

I think my dad was the first person who articulated that to me, only it was in the context of breaking away the percieved disability of being bipolar.

"It also means that the thought processes in my head seem to work differently than those around me."

I don't draw worth shit, but I certainly understand this feeling. It's something I think is appropriately called a mixed blessing.